


Distance

by loey



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Language Barrier, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-11-04 21:35:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10999464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loey/pseuds/loey
Summary: Kyungsoo meets a handsome stranger from California, finding his way through a language barrier and eventually his feelings. (takostation 2016 entry!)





	Distance

 

 

  
It’s 8:46pm, exactly 14 minutes until the little (and only) convenience store in the village closes up for the evening. Kyungsoo doesn’t usually like leaving his house this late at night, or at all really, but he thinks he might actually be dying for a bottle of iced milk tea.

  
He instinctively ducks his head when he makes his way inside the store, mumbling a polite, obligatory greeting to the old lady attending the till. She usually offers a much more enthusiastic greeting in return, but this time she completely ignores him, her attention focused quite stubbornly down the middle aisle. Kyungsoo shuffles forward to catch a glimpse of what she’s looking at, and he exhales quietly when he notices some guy he’s never seen before wandering up and down the aisle, quite heavily contemplating every pack of instant ramyun the store offers.

Kyungsoo understands why she’s staring, now – he’s quite rooted to the spot himself. It’s not very often their little village gets a new face, and this one in particular is rather intriguing. He’s tall, wide-eyed and handsome, dressed in clothes that most kids around wouldn’t even dream of owning. Kyungsoo watches on with amusement as the stranger finally seems to decide on his purchase for today, shuffling up to the counter with the basic bowl of shin ramyun, and it’s not until he brushes right up against Kyungsoo on his way out that Kyungsoo realizes he’d actually had a purpose there that evening, at least one more than staring at handsome strangers in way-too-tight jeans.

A little while later he wanders out himself, peeking inside his bag full of snacks and his much coveted milk teas. He’s really excited to go home and drink them, but when he glances up from his bag he notices the stranger sitting outside at the little tables, looking a lot smaller all bundled up in his big cardigan, sniffling and groaning in his attempt to eat the noodles. His nose and cheeks are bright red, and his eyes are actually watering from the spice. Kyungsoo watches him for a few long moments, an odd mixture of confused and amused at the sight, before he finally takes pity on the poor stranger and wanders over, plopping his bag right down in one of the seats and taking the one next to it.

“Hi,” he greets, and the stranger looks up at him, not offering a greeting in return but lowering his chopsticks politely. “Is that too spicy for you?” He’s not socially adept enough to keep the amusement out of his voice. The stranger just clears his throat and tilts his head, brows furrowed. “Have you not tried these before? I’m sure they sell them wherever you’re from. They’re the most popular noodles in all of Korea. They even sell them in Japan. They’re not even that spicy…” His rambling only seems to make the poor guy look even more confused, so Kyungsoo deflates a little, bowing his head in apology. “Sorry. I just noticed you’re having a hard time with those. You probably know them anyway, of course you do. You just don’t have any cheese.” He starts digging through his bag and pulls out the little 500-won pack of processed cheese he’d just bought to go with his own instant noodles, but he puffs out his chest and places it down on the table in front of the stranger, who just stares at it, and then moves his gaze up to Kyungsoo’s face.

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo insists, waving a hand in dismissal. “I have a bit at home, too, I was just stocking up. You can eat it.” He pulls one of the cheese slices out of the package and starts unwrapping it, letting it fall right into the bowl, chuckling, embarrassed, when some of the soup splashes out onto the table. He’s proud of himself, until the stranger sits up straight in his seat and lets out a very deep, very angry-sounding “what the fuck” in English. He’s staring at Kyungsoo like he’s some sort of very offensive alien, so Kyungsoo quickly stands up, bowing over and over in apology, grabbing his bag and practically running away from the little convenience store, not turning back until he’s a safe distance away. When he notices that the stranger is no longer there, the bowl of ramyun abandoned on the table, he kicks at the ground and sighs. This is why he never lets himself leave the house.

-

He’s all tense with embarrassment by the time he gets home, and his parents, as usual, don’t seem to notice. He tries to slip by them to get to his room, but his mother calls him into the living room, and he’s forced to sit with them in front of the coffee table while they eat snacks and argue over bad re-runs of old Korean dramas.

He hugs his knees to his chest and watches the TV screen without paying attention, tuning out of their conversation to the point he doesn’t even notice when they’re asking him questions as if his opinion helps validate whatever dumb argument they’re trying to make. He does, however, perk up when his mother makes some offhand comment about someone-or-other’s grandson coming to visit for a few months over the winter.

He usually doesn’t engage with her gossip, but he finds himself talking before he can stop himself. “I think I met him,” he says. “At the store. He bought instant noodles, and I…” his voice trails off into nothing – he’s not sure he actually wants his parents to know what a fool of himself he just made.

“He’s your age.” His mother replies quickly. “His grandparents own the big estate up the hill that produces rice wine. I went to elementary school with his mother but she moved to California before high school, so I guess he grew up there.” Kyungsoo’s mouth drops open and he shifts uncomfortably in his spot, unfolding all his limbs. “I guess he doesn’t…speak Korean…” he mumbles, hot to his ears with embarrassment. This is so, so awkward.

“The girls from the market say it’s his first time ever coming to Korea, so I guess not.” His mother says casually, oblivious to Kyungsoo’s internal struggle, until he starts to get up and drags his feet towards the kitchen. “Don’t you dare – ” she starts to yell, but it’s too late. The tub of kimchi is already tucked under Kyungsoo’s left arm, convenience store bag hanging off his right, and he’s zombie-moding it towards his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

-

It takes a few days for him to recover, but after the initial embarrassment wears off, he finds he’s actually quite intrigued at the idea of a foreigner living in their little town.

He’s only ever spoken to one, and it was quite long ago, a Canadian man who stayed in their village and taught English to practically every student in the education system. Kyungsoo had always loved his classes, but after he left high school he’d gone away to the army almost right away, and by the time he’d returned, the man was gone, never to be seen again. Kyungsoo hadn’t really studied English since then, but his affinity for it and western music continued on.

He starts by going on little walks around the village, hoping that he’ll run into the stranger by chance. He spends most of the walk practicing conversations in his head so that he doesn’t make a total fool of himself on their next meeting. It’s all kind of in vain, though – he sees the stranger a few times from afar, but he can never really pluck up the courage to actually approach him. He’s so tall and intimidating, and Kyungsoo is, well, Kyungsoo; small and a little too introverted for his own good.

Like every other situation in Kyungsoo’s life, his chance comes to him when he’s least expecting it, and in turn, least prepared. It’s outside the convenience store again, when he’s walking out and checking the money in his wallet, really not paying attention to where he’s going. He’s quite thoroughly startled, though, when he walks headlong right into something warm, and he swallows thickly, slowly looking up – and up and up until his gaze settles on the rather annoyed expression of none other than the stranger himself.

“U-um, sorry!!” Kyungsoo quickly mumbles, but then his eyes widen and he quickly corrects himself, repeating the same thing in English, then wincing when he hears how bad his accent came out. He pauses, and then repeats it again, slowly, but at least a little more properly.

The stranger snorts and then attempts to walk by him, which makes Kyungsoo panic and do something that he would usually, under any circumstances, never do – he turns quickly and reaches out and grabs hold of the guy’s arm, staring up at him with wide eyes, quickly letting go, cheeks warm, when he feels quite how firm those biceps are. _He could probably kill me if he wanted to_. “Um.” He mumbles, taking a deep breath. The stranger looks a little put-off, but he’s not making any move to walk away again, and that’s enough to give Kyungsoo the confidence to continue, really putting his basic English skills to the test. “Tomorrow. I mean… yesterday? Yesterday yesterday.” He counts down the amount of ‘yesterday’s’ he thinks he’s supposed to say with his fingers, nodding to himself once he’s done. “Sorry. Cheese and spicy is so delicious.”

There’s a long beat of silence where the stranger seems to be trying to wrap his mind around this whole situation. Kyungsoo looks down, toeing at the ground, that warmth spreading right down to his collar, now. Then, the stranger snorts again, and Kyungsoo glances back up to see his shoulders shaking with silent laughter, his wide eyes now almost slits with how big his smile is. “It’s cool, dude.” He says, smacking Kyungsoo right on the shoulder. Kyungsoo stumbles to the side, but quickly recovers himself, not wanting to seem like an uncool dude. He doesn’t even attempt to rub his shoulder, despite how much he really wants to. “I had no idea what the hell you were on about. That makes more sense. Anyway, c’ya.”

Kyungsoo sort of registers whatever those words are, but he’s not quick enough at thinking to have a real idea what it all means. He just kind of stands there, working his brain, until he panics and pulls open the door to the convenience store, chasing the stranger down into the middle aisle. “Wait. Wait.” He takes a few deep breaths to cool off and then stands up straight, grabbing one of the paldo cheese ramyun’s off the shelf and holding it out. “This one cheese and spicy. It’s very delicious. Please.” He pushes it into stranger’s hands, and it’s accepted with a grateful nod. “My name is Kyungsoo. Please ask me anytime.”

He’s very proud of himself for not stuttering his way through all that, and he grins up at the stranger, who starts laughing again, saying something Kyungsoo really can’t understand, and then reaching out with his free hand to pat the top of Kyungsoo’s head. “You’re funny. My name is – ” he stops himself, and then clears his throat, starting to speak in heavily accented Korean. “My Korean name is Park Chanyur- Chanyeol? Chanyeol. Park Chanyeol.”

“Chanyeol-sshi.” Kyungsoo tries it out, speaking slowly, which makes the stranger – no, Chanyeol – smile pleasantly. “Nice to meet you.” He lifts up both hands to wave, but then bolts from the store without looking back, his cheeks bright red.

  
His mission was a success, however he thinks that’s enough social interaction to last him a lifetime, now.

-

A couple times a month, Kyungsoo’s parents take the trip into a nearby town to stock up on proper groceries. He’d have no issue with that, except that it forces him out of his room and downstairs to look over their little shop.

He’s feeling unusually lazy today, so he doesn’t bother changing out of the clothes he wore to bed, let alone opting for his contacts. He drags his feet downstairs, opening up the store and taking a seat by the ancient till, opening a book and alternating between reading that and pushing his oversized glasses back up his nose.

The traditional sweet business isn’t exactly booming on a Tuesday morning, so he always has quite a lot of time on his hands. He doesn’t get his first customer until he’s already done his first book and is a good four chapters into his second, and the bell ringing from above the door snaps him out of his little world. “Welcome to Do Family – ” he starts his little greeting, but then immediately goes silent when the customer pulls off his hood and reveals a familiar face and a mess of fluffy black hair. “Oh, Chanyeol, it’s you – I mean.” He corrects himself and mumbles in English. “Hello, Chanyeol. I’m Kyungsoo, remember.”

“Yes. I remember.” Chanyeol looks a little surprised to see him too, but after a moment, he walks inside and starts looking around, taking his time observing all the little sweets but not actually committing to any of them. Kyungsoo sets his book on the counter, face down, and stands to observe, racking his mind for more things to say.

“You are California, yes?” He questions, leaning forward on his hands, Chanyeol doesn’t respond for a long moment, but he eventually turns, and carries over a red bean bun, setting it down next to the till.

“I’m not California, no. I’m from Cali, though.” The tone of his voice makes it clear he’s teasing, even if Kyungsoo has to take a little while to wrap his head around the words.

“Oh,” he nods, standing up straight again. “I like Bruno Mars.”

“Cool?” On the contrary, he doesn’t sound like he thinks it’s that cool at all, so Kyungsoo’s entire being deflates and he takes a seat, frowning.

“He is California too.”

“If you say so.” Chanyeol ruffles through his bills and holds a few out. Kyungsoo clears his throat and takes them, then places the change down on the counter. “Later, dude.” Chanyeol does a weird salute and then heads out of the shop. Kyungsoo shudders belatedly at the cool air let in at the departure, and then he picks up his book again, lips curled up at the ends.

_At least I’m still ‘dude’ to him._

-

“So, tell me about this kid.” Baekhyun asks, following Kyungsoo along the shelves of the library, doing his best to pry information out of his friend even though Kyungsoo is very, very focused on finding the books he needs. He likes to tell Baekhyun he drives out to town to visit him, but in reality, he only really shows up when he’s reaching due date on his library books and needs more. “He’s from California, right? Your mother had mine on the phone for hours talking about him. Why’s he such a big deal?”

“He’s related to the rich old people.” Kyungsoo shrugs vaguely, acting like he doesn’t really care all that much. He drags his fingers along the spines of the books, pulling down every one he finds that say the words “learn English” on the cover. “He’s taller than that Sehun kid down the street from you. The one with the shoulders.”

“Yes I know the one.” Baekhyun rolls his eyes and laughs, pulling on the sleeve of Kyungsoo’s oversized sweater. “You’re good at English. Have you spoken to him?”

“Sorta,” Kyungsoo puffs his chest out proudly and finally turns to face his best friend. “I’ve had like two whole conversations with him.”  
“Wow,” Baekhyun’s eyes widen. “You can barely do that with people in Korean, let alone English.” He snickers when Kyungsoo smacks his arm. “Is he hot? You must be kinda digging him if you’re studying again.”

“Not digging, not really.” Kyungsoo has never really had any secrets from Baekhyun, and he’s not about to start now, so he shrugs and starts wandering again, Baekhyun hot on his heels. “But I touched his arm by mistake once and he feels really, really strong.”

-

There’s a cliff that overlooks the ocean a little off the beaten path from their tiny village, and Kyungsoo, as much of a homebody as he is, really does like to go there as often as the weather allows him to. A milder day in mid-January has him making the trek, his little backpack stuffed with a few snacks, milk teas and enough books to last him much longer than he plans to stay, just in case.

  
He uses one hand to hold his jacket around himself, the other to balance as he climbs over and around the big rocks and fallen tree-trunks along the way. It gets cooler and cooler the higher up he gets, but he doesn’t let it slow him down, just sniffles and occasionally blows hot air into his palms to warm up.

There’s a little crevice at one point in the climb that he usually has no problems hopping over, but for some reason this time is different – he trips over his shoelace and stumbles right before he makes the jump, and he closes his eyes, throwing his palms out in front of him to brace himself for the fall. It never comes, though – quite suddenly he hears the skid of sneakers against the rock, a loud, oddly melodic thunk of something hitting the ground. He then feels something strong wrap around his stomach, pulling him right back up again.

“Man, lucky I heard you coming.” In the shock of what just didn’t go down, it takes Kyungsoo a long moment to register that it’s not gibberish he’s hearing – it is, in fact, English, and when he blinks his eyes open, Chanyeol’s worried face is the first thing that comes into his view. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, thank you. And you?” Kyungsoo recites, remembering this one from his very first few English classes in elementary school, rubbing his nose and standing up straight, brushing off his clothes. Part of him wishes he’d just fallen to his doom, alone at this Cliffside, rather than be saved by this person who actually thinks he’s sort of cool enough to call him ‘dude’. “T-Thank you.”

“No big,” Chanyeol laughs again, and Kyungsoo has no idea what he said, but he can’t help but smile along despite how ashamed he feels of his own existence. He reluctantly lets Chanyeol help him properly over the crevice, brows furrowing with worry when he notices the guitar case lying in the dirt, finally realizing where that sound from before had come from.

“Ah. Guitar.” He says quietly. He crouches down beside it and starts to unzip it, recoiling slightly when Chanyeol covers his hands with his much bigger ones and guides them away.

“It’s okay. It’s fine.” Even with the language barrier Kyungsoo can tell he’s a little worried for the fate of his guitar, but he zips the case back up again and brushes off some of the dirt, pulling it onto his back and then walking ahead. Kyungsoo almost trips again when he hurries to keep up with him, but he manages to play if off cool this time.

“You play music?” he asks with interest, walking a few paces away to not seem too eager. Chanyeol, however, steps in closer, as if he’s worried Kyungsoo might fall again. Kyungsoo can’t tell if he’s flattered or if this makes him more ashamed.

“Yeah. I play guitar and drums.” Chanyeol responds, speaking slowly. It’s easier to piece the words together this way, so Kyungsoo smiles, grip tightening around the hanging straps of his backpack. “I write songs, too.”

“I am a singer. No. I’m not singer. I like to sing.” Kyungsoo says, quickly correcting himself. “I’m not very good.”

Chanyeol looks over at him but doesn’t say anything. Once they reach the Cliffside, he sets down his guitar case and takes a seat beside it. Kyungsoo isn’t exactly sure if he’s welcome or not, but he takes a seat a few feet away, shrugging off his backpack and pulling his knees to his chest, staring out at the view.

“It’s pretty.” Chanyeol says, in Korean, after a long moment of silence. Kyungsoo smiles over at him, cheek resting on his knee, nodding his agreement. There’s another person here, but for some reason, he feels more at peace than he ever has coming alone.

-

Even in the cold, the trip to the cliff ends up becoming a much more regular thing. After their first meeting there, Kyungsoo had maybe kind of hoped to see Chanyeol again, so he’d made the trek at the exact same time the very next day, with only one book that time instead of his usual four, expecting he wouldn’t really have the time to read it anyway. He’d been right. He caught Chanyeol right at the edge of the village, guitar strapped to his back, pacing around as if he’d been waiting for something, but when Kyungsoo wandered past him with a polite bow of his head, Chanyeol had followed, not saying anything, but helping him over the crevice once they reached it.

They never really say much to each other, and Chanyeol never ends up taking his guitar out of the case. They just sit, silently, side by side, watching the view, until the sun sets over the horizon and they both get up together to return home.

  
Kyungsoo doesn’t find out until many years later that it was he Chanyeol had been waiting for at the edge of the village that day, and he’d been spending all that time in silence trying to build up the courage to really talk to him.

  
-

  
“So,” Baekhyun starts talking immediately after Kyungsoo picks up the phone, not even bothering to wait for a greeting. “I decided to google your little boyfriend.”

“Not my boyfriend – ” Kyungsoo tries to cut in, but it’s in vain. “Okay, whatever. What did you find?”

“Not much. I think I found his soundcloud.” He snickers, as if there’s some sort of inside joke he’s not gonna let Kyungsoo in on. “He’s kinda cheesy. His English name is Steven, isn’t that dumb?”

“Not really.” Kyungsoo isn’t exactly well versed in English names so he doesn’t know what makes a name stupid or not. “He has a soundcloud, though? That’s kind of cool…” Again, he tries very hard to seem like he cares a lot less than he actually does. “What kinda music does he do?”

“Mostly covers of lame hip-hop and r&b songs, but the stuff he writes himself is actually pretty good. I’d send you a link, but you don’t even have internet, you hippie.”

“My parents don’t wanna pay for it since I’m not in school, otherwise I would!” He protests, but he can feel Baekhyun’s eyeroll even through the phone. “Can you play me one through the phone? I’m curious.”

“Curious? Ask him to sing for you then.” Before Kyungsoo can retort, Baekhyun laughs loudly and hangs up, leaving Kyungsoo to swear at an empty line.

-

The next time he has to man the shop for his parents, Chanyeol shows up much earlier than before. He’s wearing a big puffy jacket, his nose and cheeks red from the cold, his guitar strapped securely to his back. Kyungsoo stares at him for a very long time before he realizes why he may be here, looking like this. “Oh.” He exclaims, and then mumbles, in Korean, looking away. “I forgot to tell you I couldn’t go today.”

His chest feels a little tight at the thought that Chanyeol had come to find him, rather than just waiting and then heading up on his own.

He stands up and walks around the counter, reaching out without really thinking, holding both Chanyeol’s cheeks in his hands to warm them up. Chanyeol doesn’t pull away, so Kyungsoo doesn’t panic, and he steps away, smiling up at his new friend. “Sorry.” He says, in English, and Chanyeol shrugs like it’s nothing. “Yesterday, okay?”

“Tomorrow.” Chanyeol corrects, and Kyungsoo laughs, quietly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yes, tomorrow.”

They stand in silence for a few moments, before the bell dings to signal another customer entering the shop. By the time Kyungsoo is done attending to the lady, Chanyeol is gone, and Kyungsoo’s left to deal with his own racing heart.

-

He meets Chanyeol the next day at their usual spot, opening his mouth to greet him but realizing belatedly he can’t quite find his voice. Chanyeol’s watching him a little closer than usual today, walking in step with him rather than a few paces away, reaching out for Kyungsoo’s arm every time he tries to step over one of the bigger rocks. Kyungsoo’s a little taken aback at this treatment, but he doesn’t exactly hate it, so he doesn’t react or do anything that might stop it.

  
When they reach their favourite area, they take a seat, Kyungsoo hugging his knees to his chest as usual, Chanyeol laying his guitar case down on the grass. They sit in silence for a long time, but when the sun starts to set, Chanyeol does something he hasn’t done since they started this little thing they have.

He unzips his guitar case. Kyungsoo perks up a little, watching with interest. Chanyeol’s hands are shaking like he’s timid, but when the guitar is in his hands and he finally starts playing, Kyungsoo wonders why he seemed so nervous. He’s really, really good.

It’s just a soft acoustic ballad, Kyungsoo thinks it sounds familiar but he’s not exactly sure. He shifts closer, staring at the way Chanyeol’s fingers move over the strings, lips curled up into a peaceful little smile.

Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure how long he plays for, but by the end of it his eyes are closed and he’s leaning heavily to the side. Chanyeol sets the guitar down, shifting in his spot, asking in a quiet Korean that has Kyungsoo blinking his eyes open slowly. “Are you sleepy?”

“A little,” he replies, but then hides a big yawn behind his hand. He wishes he could tell Chanyeol about the book he’d been reading last night, and how it was so good he couldn’t possibly put it down until it was done, and by then it had been four in the morning, but he has no idea to communicate that in a language he barely understands.

“Here.” Chanyeol stretches out his legs and pats his lap. Kyungsoo tilts his head curiously, squinting at him, so he speaks up again, rubbing his thighs. “Sleep here.”

“Oh.” He goes silent for a long, long time, and then eventually he shifts and slowly lowers his head onto Chanyeol’s lap, facing away from him and towards the view. Chanyeol’s thighs are a lot bonier than Kyungsoo had been prepared for, and it’s definitely not all that comfortable, but for some reason he really does not want to move. He stretches out over the grass, finally closing his eyes when he feels Chanyeol’s fingers thread through his hair soothingly.

He doesn’t remember falling asleep, but when he opens his eyes again it’s a little darker outside and Kyungsoo feels significantly colder than he did before. He blinks when something wet hits his face, rubbing it away, sitting up slowly when he realizes that it’s snow. He turns around, laughing quietly when he notices Chanyeol has fallen asleep too, laying back in the grass, the little specks of snow decorating his clothing and his hair.

He shakes Chanyeol’s arm until his wide eyes blink open, and he stares up at Kyungsoo in sleepy surprise, before he seems to come to the realization of where they are. He sits up and runs his fingers through his hair, and they share a chuckle, getting up without a word and starting to gather their things together, standing to start the trek home.

Chanyeol, as usual, takes Kyungsoo’s hand to help him over the little crevice in the rocks, but this time once they’re on the other side, he doesn’t let go.

-

When he gets inside he practically bolts to his room, throwing himself down on his bed and screeching into the pillow. He’s never really been this type of person, but suddenly Chanyeol has him feeling like he’s back in high school again, experiencing that crush he’d been waiting for but never really had a chance to feel.

He sits up and pulls one of his books closer, taking deep breaths and reading through the pages of dark fiction to try and even out his mood a little. After a while, there’s a quiet knock at his door, and his mother pokes her head in a moment later. “Can I come in?”  
  
Kyungsoo nods, setting his book aside and crossing his legs. “What’s up?”

“Your father and I were just talking, and I thought I needed to check up on you.”

“Mm.” He nods, tensing up slightly, already aware of where this conversation is going to go. “I’m meeting Baekhyun at the library soon and I’m gonna research schools – ”

“You’ve been saying that for two years, Kyungsoo.” She doesn’t sound angry like usual, just sad, and that makes Kyungsoo feel even worse. “You’ve been getting out of the house more, lately, so we have some hope. You should have gone to college before the army. I had a feeling this would happen.”

“I’ll work more at the shop, then. Or I’ll get another job, and pay rent…”

“Kyungsoo.” She takes a seat next to him on the bed and pulls him against her side with an arm around his shoulders. He’s taller than her, but when she does this, he always feels so small. “Your father and I have decided we’d like to support you, now, if singing is what you really want to do. As long as you promise to study, too. You have to study. We saved so hard to send you to school.”

“Oh…” He’s been waiting his whole life to hear this, but for some reason, it’s not the amazing moment he’d always imagined. It feels bittersweet; they’d forcefully come to this conclusion after watching him do nothing for so long after leaving the army. “I-I’ll look into it.” He looks up at her face and then immediately away, crawling out of her grip and picking up his book again. “Thank you,” he adds, when she doesn’t get his dismissal, stubbornly staring at the pages until she finally leaves, her sigh of disappointment haunting him until he falls asleep that night.

-

He sleeps in the next day, waking up groggy and disoriented, still a little off thanks to the conversation from the night before. He rolls over in his bed to check the time on his clock, groaning quietly when he realizes it’s much past the time he and Chanyeol usually meet to hike up the cliff.

He covers his eyes with his forearm, taking in deep breaths, trying to convince himself that it’s okay – it’s too late to do anything about it, anyway. He eventually manages to fall asleep again, sprawled out on top of his covers, and it’s not until a few hours later when his mother calls for him that he actually wakes up for good.

“Have you been sleeping all day?” She asks him once he’s dressed and downstairs, sitting at the dining room table to watch her cook dinner. He nods, picking up some chopsticks and dragging the little dish of kimchi closer to himself. She laughs, stepping up to him to rest a hand on his shoulder. “Eat as much kimchi as you want, ‘soo, just don’t take it all to your room this time.”  
  
He nods again, chewing slowly, chopsticks still hanging out of his mouth.

“Someone left a letter for you, by the way. I found it stuck to the front gate. Whoever it is spelled your name wrong, though.”  
  
“For me?” He gets up and walks over to the counter, picking up the little envelope and smiling fondly at the big, curly letters spelling out his name incorrectly. “It’s probably from Chanyeol.”

“Oh, the American kid? I thought maybe a child.”

Kyungsoo gives his mother a scandalized look. “He’s _foreign._ ”

“Regardless, I didn’t know you guys were friends. Is he the reason you’re always going out, lately?”  
  
Kyungsoo ignores her, already clocked out of the conversation. He picks up the letter and the little side dish of kimchi, wandering out of the kitchen and back up to his room, also ignoring his mother’s desperate calls of “bring back the kimchi!!”

He sits down at his desk, holding the envelope in both of his hands, staring down at the cute way his name is written for a few moments longer before finally gaining the courage to open it up. It’s written in the same big curly writing as on the envelope.

_Are you sick? I miss you today._  
_Let’s meet later if you’re feeling better. I live at the place with all the aging rice wine._  
_It’s okay if you come late. My grandparents are leaving for Seoul right now, so feel free to knock._  
_Bye!!!_

_-From Chanyeol_

Kyungsoo’s probably never moved so quickly in his life. He aims straight for his closet, pulling probably every article of clothing out of it until he finds a flannel shirt that looks a little less lame than all his other flannel shirts, putting on the nice jeans he only wears when he has a birthday party to go to. He checks his hair in the mirror, spending a little too long trying to pat down a flyaway that he ends up giving up on.

He makes his way downstairs, taking one big bite of the fried rice his mother had prepared for dinner, thanking her and then hurrying outside, not telling them where he’s off to because he knows they can trust he’ll get home safe. The walk up to Chanyeol’s grandparents estate is a little long, but Kyungsoo is glad for that – it gives him time to mentally prepare himself for whatever this is gonna be.

He knocks on the door, and he thinks he can hear Chanyeol on the other side of it for a few moments before he answers. He grins up at his friend, a little taken aback when Chanyeol responds by taking hold of his hand and pulling him inside.  
  
“You came.” He mumbles in quiet Korean. “Hi.” He adds on in English.

“Hey. Your letter….”

“My grandmother um…” there’s a long pause while he tries to figure out how to say whatever is on his mind. “She…”  
  
“I understand.” Kyungsoo laughs, cutting him off before he hurts himself from thinking too hard. “She helped you write it.”

He puffs up his cheeks, looking around as Chanyeol guides him through the huge estate. His hand is starting to feel warm, and he’s legitimately concerned it might start sweating soon, and that would be quite terrible. He tries to pull it away, but Chanyeol has a grip as firm as his biceps.

“This is my room.” Chanyeol says in slow Korean, and Kyungsoo glances up just in time to see him actually reciting that from words written on his palm. He steps in front of him, letting go of his one hand to take hold of the other in both of his, reading all the little words and phrases written down in black ink.

“Your lips are nice?” He reads, amused. “Thank you for being my friend.” He pauses at that one, looking up at Chanyeol’s face. “You’re really sweet, Chanyeol. Thank you.”

There’s a really, really long pause after that, so long that Kyungsoo starts to feel a little hot under the collar. Chanyeol clears his throat a few times, then releases a heavy breath through his nose. “I’m going home, in about a week. I’m going back to California.”  
  
The way he says it makes it clear he’d practiced it over and over again. Kyungsoo bites down on his bottom lip, shifting in his spot, the rock that has dropped to the pit of his stomach making it incredibly hard for him to form words.

“Kyungsoo, I have to leave.” He says it in English this time, and for some reason it’s like an arrow right through Kyungsoo’s heart. He ducks his head, nodding twice, turning to make a run for it, but then he feels Chanyeol’s grip around his wrist, and that manages to root him to the spot. He turns slowly to face Chanyeol again, trying his best to look bright and cheerful.

“I know. You were only staying a couple months, right? It’s cool. I expected this. You gotta go. That’s life. I’m…fine with it.”  
  
It doesn’t matter if he’s totally lying because Chanyeol can’t even understand him anyway. He rolls his shoulders back and looks around, unsure what to say or how to act, now.

“Do you have a handphone?” Kyungsoo squints at that, finally meeting Chanyeol’s gaze. He nods once, mumbling something about how he doesn’t use it much and it’s kind of ancient.

“Okay.” Chanyeol is a lot more perceptive than his mother, that’s for sure, since he understands the dismissal right away. He moves his grip from Kyungsoo’s wrist to his elbow, guiding slowly back through the estate and out to the path that leads them back to the village.  
  
They slow to a stop outside of Kyungsoo’s garden, Chanyeol looking down at him with a surprisingly large smile on his face. “Let’s meet again.” He says, confidently, and Kyungsoo feels a little pang of pride at how good his accent has gotten since the last time he’d heard him really try to speak Korean. “One week still. Please, let’s meet.”

“Okay.” Kyungsoo promises, even though he’s not entirely sure he can live up to that considering the feeling in his chest right now. There’s another long beat of silence, but Chanyeol isn’t leaving, so Kyungsoo starts talking again just to ease some of the awkwardness with endearingly broken English. “I like your guitar play.”

“I’ll play for you again.” Kyungsoo nods, hoping that means what he thinks it means. Chanyeol steps closer, and Kyungsoo would step away if not for the fact that he’s already almost pressed up against the gate. Another long beat of silence later and Kyungsoo’s shoulders are suddenly trapped in Chanyeol’s grip, and he’s ducking his head at the last second to avoid a kiss he’s not sure he’s emotionally prepared for.

He cowers, entire body trembling, until Chanyeol’s grip loosens and a pair of warm lips meet his cheek quite briefly. “I’m sorry.” Chanyeol says, touching Kyungsoo’s cheeks where his lips had touched before. “Don’t be scared.”  
  
“I’m not.” Kyungsoo is very, very proud of the fact that his voice sounds about as steady as normal when everything else in his body is sort of turning to goo. Despite that, he steps forward boldly, wrapping his arms around Chanyeol’s middle, pressing his cheek up against his chest. “Good night.” One quick squeeze and he pulls away, glancing up at Chanyeol’s face before running inside, slamming the door behind him.

When he makes it to his bedroom he glances out onto the street curiously, a little surprised to see Chanyeol still standing there, staring in the direction of Kyungsoo’s front door. After what seems like forever, he suddenly jumps up, punching the air, then takes off running down the street. Kyungsoo laughs, then climbs into bed, holding his hot cheeks in his hands and just replaying that moment over and over again in his mind.

-

They spend the following days just like usual, meeting every morning to go up to the cliff, or Chanyeol joining Kyungsoo when he has to work instead, sitting beside him, silently working on songs while Kyungsoo reads his books between customers. The only difference now is that they sit a little closer than before, and stay out a little longer, Chanyeol always gripping Kyungsoo’s hand firmly all the way home, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before he sends him inside.

At first, Kyungsoo is able to ignore the intrusive thoughts about Chanyeol’s inevitable depature, just enjoying their time together, but on the last few days they have, he starts to feel the weight settling in his stomach, every moment that had given him joy just a few days ago now only making him sad. It’s really hard on him – it’s the first time he’s ever felt this way, about anyone, and even with the expiry date he’d only ever wanted to make the most of it.

But instead of that, he spends the last night they have together trying very hard not to cry. Chanyeol seems to be in the same boat, though, so they’re rather silent, just laying side by side in the dark up at the cliff, staring at the unobstructed view of the stars, gripping each other’s hands firmly. It’s not until the walk home that they end up finally speaking to each other, a mumbled conversation in a broken mix of English and Korean.

When they stop at Kyungsoo’s gate, Chanyeol lifts their hands to his lips and presses a soft kiss to each of Kyungsoo’s knuckles. “Tomorrow, 8 in the morning. Come say bye?”  
  
“Yeah.” Kyungsoo nods, swallowing down a lump in his throat, pulling his hand away. “See you tomorrow.”  
  
“See you tomorrow.” Chanyeol repeats, his usual pleasant grin on his face, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He waves Kyungsoo off, and Kyungsoo drags his feet inside, walking right past his parents and straight up to his bedroom, curling up on the mattress and laying there, in silence, for many many hours, trying to think of a way to make this better – to make all this work.

-

At promptly 7:45am, he bolts out of his front door and up the street, his little old iphone in one hand and a bag filled with traditional Korean candies in the other. He’d taken too long getting all this ready, and he’s having a very well controlled internal panic attack at the fact that he really might not make it on time. The hill is a little steep, but he doesn’t let that slow him down, and by the time he reaches the estate and finds Chanyeol standing outside of it, holding onto the handle of his big suitcase, he can only double over, rub at his burning thighs and take big, deep breaths to try and calm himself down.

“S-sorry!” He gasps out, straightening himself up again and placing the bag of sweets down on top of Chanyeol’s suitcase. “I made it.”  
  
“You made it.” Chanyeol nods his agreement, and he looks amused, albeit a little sad.

“Inside…the bag. A letter.” He points at the bag. “And many many souvenir for you and California friends.” He doesn’t even care if his English is proper or not, right now – he has so much he wants to say. “My phone.” He holds out the little iphone. “Please kakaotalk.” Chanyeol quickly takes the phone and adds himself to Kyungsoo’s contacts, visibly overjoyed at the fact that he’s able to do that.  
  
“Okay!” Chanyeol sends himself a little sticker and then hands the phone back to Kyungsoo, smiling wide, his tongue poking out cutely between his teeth. “Kakaotalk friends.”

“Kakaotalk friends,” Kyungsoo nods his agreement, and then takes a deep breath, ready to say the one thing he’d been practicing all morning with his mother. “I will study English hard. I want to learn everything about you. I will go to University soon, and study English too. Please wait for me. Maybe you don’t know me properly now but, one day, I want to see you again, and you can know about real me.”

“Your English,” Chanyeol says brightly, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo’s neck and holding him close. “Is the cutest thing in the whole world.” Kyungsoo nods at that, which makes Chanyeol’s entire body shake with laughter. “Wait for me, too, Kyungsoo. I’ll be graduating University in the fall, if I can pass. I’ll come find you again, and learn about the real you.”  
  
Kyungsoo has no idea what any of that means, but it sounds promising, so he steps back and looks up at Chanyeol’s face with bright, happy eyes. He stands up on his toes, holding onto the back of Chanyeol’s neck, pressing a tiny kiss right to the corner of his mouth, then immediately letting go, backing up a few paces and waving bye with both hands. Chanyeol looks like he’s about to pull him back in, but his grandparents choose that moment to honk the horn of their car (much to Kyungsoo’s dismay – he hadn’t even realized they were watching).

“Your kiss, you wanted.” Kyungsoo says quickly, cheeks red, and starts pushing Chanyeol towards the back seat of the car. “Bye, Chanyeol. Please Kakaotalk me.”

Chanyeol climbs in reluctantly, and Kyungsoo keeps his smile on his face as long as he can, until the car reaches the bottom of the valley and the tires suddenly screech loudly to a halt. Kyungsoo looks up curiously, just in time to see Chanyeol running back up the hill, and barely a second later, Kyungsoo’s all wrapped up in his embrace, those warm lips he’s grown to like so much completely covering his own, stealing his breath away, not letting him go until they’re both red in the cheeks and completely winded.  
  
“That,” Chanyeol says eventually, pressing his fingertips into Kyungsoo’s jaw. “That was the kiss I wanted, actually.”

One more smile and a wave, and Kyungsoo’s standing still, watching Chanyeol’s back as he makes his way down towards the car once more. He’s a little too shocked to feel sad this time – or to do much at all, really, so it’s much later when he finally starts to make his way back home.

His phone buzzes in his pocket when he’s sitting in bed an hour or two later, and he picks it up curiously, eying the message on the screen. He laughs at the little peach sticker, then reads the message, letting google translate do most of the work for him.

_[from > pcy] Kyungsoo! My grandparents taught me a new phrase in Korean._  
_[from > pcy] Long distance relationship._  
_[from > pcy] What do you think of it?_  
_[from > pcy] See ya!_  
_[from > ksoo] I like that quite a lot, actually…_

**Author's Note:**

> this was my first time writing in a really long time and it took me a few months to realize I don't actually hate it before cross posting 
> 
> I'm getting ready for a few more exchanges so I hope to post here again shortly!


End file.
